Most cycles, including motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles (ATV), bicycles and the like, include a handlebar configuration that includes opposing outer ends and a middle portion. The handlebars are typically rotatably fixed at the middle portion, towards the center of the cycle. Usually, especially with motorcycles, the middle portion of the handlebars are fixed through the use of a clamping system that includes at least one bottom bar clamp, which is usually integrated with or carried by a triple clamp, and one or more corresponding top bar clamps. Both the bottom bar clamp and the top bar clamp may have a recessed portion generally sized to curvedly engage or cradle a portion of the circumference of the handlebar. The top and bottom clamps are then secured to each other to clamp the handlebars and prevent them from rotating frontward or backward or moving from left to right.
The rider steers the cycle by pushing on one end of the handlebar or the other. To protect a rider's hands and controls mounted on the outer ends of the handlebar, such as brake levers and clutch levers, a rigid hand guard crossbar may extend from the outer end of the handlebar in a forward fashion and then curve inward toward the center of the cycle. Most crossbars then clamp to the handlebar at a point more toward the middle portion of the handlebar, outside of the clamped area. The crossbar helps prevent brush, tree branches and other obstacles from interfering with the rider's hands and controls. The crossbar also can help protect hands and controls upon impact in the event of a crash.
Current hand guard cross members that connect to the inner portion of the handlebar, allow the crossbar to rotate upward or downward depending on the directional forces caused by the impact of hitting an obstacle or a crash. This is a serious safety concern, as it significantly reduces the effectiveness of the crossbar in protecting the rider's hands and controls.
The only other known hand guard system is to secure the inner portion of the crossbar to a bracket that extends from pinch bolts that are used to secure the triple clamp to a fork of the cycle. This connection undesirably stiffens the handlebars such that they are not allowed to naturally flex per their design, which takes a toll on the rider and increases the time to rider fatigue.
Another safety and performance feature used with the steering system in cycles includes a steering damper. Steering dampers are designed to absorb unwanted left to right motion in the handlebars, sometimes known as headshake or wobble and helps eliminate the sudden thrust effect of having the handlebars pulled from the rider's hands when the front wheel hits sharp-edged objects, such as tree roots, potholes, uneven pavement, ruts and the like. To properly function, steering dampers must be positioned in axial alignment with the axial center or centerline of the steering tube, to which the handlebars and front wheel pivot around. Accordingly, a steering damper is typically mounted at the middle portion of the handlebar. By being axially aligned with the axial center, the steering damper can influence the ability of the wheel and handlebar to turn from one side to the other, by creating a rider set resistance.
Steering dampers are usually mounted to the top bar clamp. A linkage extends to interconnect the damper with the center bearing of the steering tube. Because steering dampers are rigidly connected to a top bar clamp, they are suitable for a single handlebar position. However, many original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and after-market manufacturers (AMM) design and build bottom bar clamps that have several positions, or positive stops, from closer to the rider to farther out towards the front wheel of the cycle. If a rider desires to change the position of the handlebar, they must use a different top bar clamp that will accommodate the different position while allowing the steering damper to maintain its axial alignment over the center of the steering tube. This not only has a disadvantage of requiring and maintaining several different top bar clamps, but it also restricts the rider's ability to refine the handlebar positioning without excessive parts and down time.